Do you also think often about what is preventing you from thinking more creatively when you’re problem solving? If so, read the practical recommendations offered by a leading world personality in personal and professional growth, the American speaker and consultant Brian Tracy. On his blog he summarized the most common obstacles to creative thinking in six points:
1. A lack of direction
Unclear goals are the first obstacle. If you want to achieve something, you must know what you want and how you will try to accomplish it. Therefore write your goals down in as much detail as possible, along with a plan for attaining them.
2. Fear of failure
The second obstacle is the fear of some loss. In this case you need to realize that you have already experienced many failures and that you always gotten through it. You are not afraid of fear itself, but of the possibility that it could happen.
3. Fear of criticism
The third obstacle is the fear of criticism, ridicule, scorn or rejection. Basically, you don’t want to look stupid and foolish. But is your desire to be approved by everyone really that important to you?
4. Trying to be consistent
The fourth obstacle is the entrenched notion that you have to behave as you did in the past. You are afraid to say or do something new, to get out of a rut. Be aware of this tendency and fight against it consciously.
5. Passive thinking
The fifth obstacle is passivity, which is the result of routine behavior and thinking. If you don’t constantly stimulate your mind with new ideas and information, you will lose energy and vitality, which are the prerequisites of creative thinking.
6. The need to rationalize everything logically
The sixth obstacle is, somewhat paradoxically, logic. People naturally look for logical explanations of their decisions in order to feel better and safer. According to Tracy, however, constantly looking for logical reasons will not improve our creative thinking or the performance of our companies.
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